"Themes the author explored to great effect in The Hebrew Teacher are at play here . Unexpected--and satisfying . A life replete with grit, optimism, and mystery is created through the simple artifice of New Year's letters." -- Kirkus Reviews (Starred review) "This subtle epistolary novel from Arad comprises 50 years' worth of letters sent by a woman to her former classmates at an Israeli teacher's college on Rosh Hashana . cleverly ironic . This will move readers." --Publishers Weekly "A magical feat of storytelling that brilliantly lays bare a woman's dreams, disappointments, blind spots, aspirations, and omissions. This is a captivating and deeply moving novel about the stories we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves.
"--Tova Mirvis, author of The Book of Separation and We Would Never "Maya Arad's protagonist in Happy New Years is a humdinger . shining a spotlight not only on migration but also on aging, capitalism, militarism, generational differences, and particularly feminism . I was captivated by Arad's cleverness . Arad transcends one country. She can't be pigeonholed as an Israeli writer." --World Literature Today "Moving . charts the triumphs and challenges of an Israeli woman living in the U.S.
through five decades of annual Rosh Hashanah letters to her college friends back home . Wise, absorbing, and relatable in their small details and messy emotions, Leah's letters create a richly layered portrait of a woman determined to build a satisfying life for herself." --Shelf Awareness "Reading Happy New Years gave me the same rush I felt when I first tore through Elena Ferrante's Neapolitan novels: the female voices feel real and familiar . nothing short of extraordinary." --The Canadian Jewish News "An ingeniously crafted narrative, Happy New Years is a genuine tour de force; thrumming with haunting immediacy . endlessly inventive . a triumph of the epistolary form and a profoundly incisive rendering of gender politics past and present." --Jewish Book Council "Brilliant and moving .
The great miracle of this novel is the way that slowly, naturally, over decades, it leads to the emergence of an older woman who can reflect with wisdom on her life and its failures and successes . Easily one of the best works of Jewish American fiction produced this century." --The Jewish Review of Books "A sly and complex portrait of a character beautifully rendered by author Maya Arad . She has created an underdog whom one can't help rooting for." --Hadassah Magazine "Maya Arad is the smart, tart, and heartbroken sibyl of exile, who is remaking expectations of Hebrew literature book by book."--Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus "Compelling . A poignant novel, Happy New Years is about a woman who, despite her flaws, attempts to stake her place in the world." --Foreword Reviews "A deft, layered, epistolary probing of hope, heartbreak and exile.
" --Jewish Renaissance "A delightful epistolary novel . fascinating . This book will be popular in any Jewish and public library, as well as making a fabulous book club selection." --Association of Jewish Libraries "Provides the combination we've come to expect from Arad--of pleasure and sophistication--and confirms her central and unique status in the literary arena." -- Haaretz "A touching book about immigration, growing old, dreaming big, and the attempt to remain optimistic even with the nagging sense of having missed out on life."--Walla.